The Reading Room

I'm an avid reader; always have been.

I majored in English, so I had to read most of the classics through the years, and I'm glad I did. My reading preferences have changed over the years, though.

These days, I probably read more nonfiction than fiction, and I love books about Texas, history of the American West, and the outdoors.

On this page, I want to share those works I think are the best in their areas. Most of my friends will probably not recognize most of the authors listed below, but I encourage them to do a bit of investigation. There might be something here of interest to them.

My Favorite Books about Texas

I love Texas. Ever since I was a lad not yet in school, I felt that Texas -- its terrain, its history, its culture -- was unique, and I felt fortunate to live in Texas. Whenever we traveled, I paid attention to the roads we drove along and the towns we passed through. They made an impression on me that has lasted to this day. Over the years, I've built up my library of books about Texas, and those listed below represent the best of those works.

J. Frank Dobie is one of the best known Texas writers, and his works deal largely with the folklore and history of Texas, though he could write effectively and spiritedly on other subjects, including politics. Some of his best known works are:
Coronado's Children
Tales of Old Time Texas
A Vaquero of the Brush Country
Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver
The Longhorns
The Ben Lilly Legend
Up the Trail from Texas
- There are many other books, stories, and essays by Dobie, but this is a good start
John Graves is not as well known to most Texans as is Dobie, but he should be, for he has painted some wonderful word pictures of the Lone Star State, including
- Goodbye to a River (this is a true classic, and records a canoe journey Graves took down the middle section of the Brazos prior to the formation of the dam for Lake Granbury)
Hard Scrabble
From a Limestone Ledge
Elmer Kelton is my favorite Western writer, and perhaps my favorite fiction writer. His stories are true to life: they involve characters who --although fictional in creation -- are real in behavior; the backgrounds are always historically accurate; and they are entertaining and engrossing. He was the recipient of 7 Spur Awards, 2 Western Heritage Awards, and he was named the greatest Western writer of all time by his colleagues, among other honors. He is the author of over 40 novels, and my favorites are:
The Time It Never Rained
The Wolf and the Buffalo
The Good Old Boys
Stand Proud
The Day the Cowboys Quit
The Man Who Rode Midnight
Hallie Stillwell was a pioneer of the Big Bend Country. Her fascinating story of her life in that rugged country is told in I'll Gather My Geese.
J. O. Langford was another pioneer of the Big Bend Country, and he tells his story in Big Bend: A Homesteader's Story.
Frederick Law Olmsted took a saddle trip through Texas in 1856-57, and he recorded his observations in A Journey through Texas: or a Saddle-Trip on the Southwestern Frontier. Anyone serious about a study of Texas history must read this book.
J. Evetts Haley was one of the great historians of Texas. Among his many works, I recommend Charles Goodnight: Cowman and Plainsman. Goodnight served as the basis for the character of Woodrow Call in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove.
And speaking of McMurtry, no list of books about Texas would be complete without at least one or two of his books. However, I prefer his early works, when his characters were truer to life and history. In the latter part of his career, McMurtry has taken considerable license with history, and that bothers the realist in me. Here are my favorite works by McMurtry.
- Horseman, Pass By (later made into the movie Hud movie starring Paul Newman and Melvin Douglas)
The Last Picture Show
Lonesome Dove
In a Narrow Grave: Essays on Texas
Richard M. Donovan wrote an interesting book called Paddling the Wild Neches. It is similar in nature to Graves' Goodbye to a River in that Donovan tries to draw attention to the unique character of the river in an attempt to prevent further damming.

Stories of the Outdoors

I love stories of the outdoors, whether it be hiking, camping, or living off the land. The following books are listed by title first, then author.

Living the Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing
Continuing the Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing

You have probably guessed that I stole the title of the Nearing's book for this web site. I stumbled upon a copy of Living the Good Life over 30 years ago in the library of the high school where I was teaching. I had always been interested in true homesteading, and the Nearings' commitment to living deliberately "off the land" appealed to me then and still appeals to me. One of the great regrets of my life is that I did not purchase a sizable tract of land while I was young and develop it over the remainder of my life. The Nearings tell how to live a self-sustained and self-sufficient lifestyle. I must warn you, though, that if you decide to read this book, there is a political slant to it; however, I've always just read these books for the instruction on country living and have ignored the political leanings of the Nearings.

The Last Season by Eric Blehm. This book almost reads like a novel, but it is an biographical accounting of the last days of Randy Morgenson, a legendary backcountry ranger in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, who mysteriously disappeared without a trace.
The Man Who Walked Through Time by Colin Fletcher. Actually, Fletcher is better known in the hiking community for his influential hiker's guide, The Complete Walker, but I really like this memoir. It details Fletcher's 1963 hike when he became the first person to walk the length of the Grand Canyon "below the rim." Most people hike from rim to river, but Fletcher walked along terraces and ledges from one end of the great chasm to the other. Wow!
One Man's Wilderness by Sam Keith. This book is based upon the personal journals and photographs of Richard Proenneke. Mr. Proenneke was one of the most interesting men I've read about, and I admire his ability to survive greatly. I wrote an entry about a year in my blog (see http://ramblin-gamblin.blogspot.com/2011/05/richard-proenneke.html). I first learned about him from watching a PBS special about him. He was a true outdoors man.
Indian Creek Chronicles by Peter Fromm. This is the author's account of 7 winter months he spent mostly alone in a tent in Idaho guarding salmon eggs for the Idaho Fish and Game Department. Interesting.
Woodswoman by Anne LaBastille may be of interest to women, but I have to admit I enjoyed it as well. Following a divorce, she moved onto a 20 acre tract of land in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. With her dog as her only companion, she built a primitive but cozy log cabin and adapted well to a life in the outdoors. LaBastille is well known in ecological circles and earned a PhD in wildlife ecology. She authored nearly 200 books, articles, and scientific papers.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Bryson is, for the most part, a travel writer, and a good one at that. But I especially enjoyed this humorous account of his attempt to walk the 2100+ mile Appalachian Trail.

Speaking of the Appalachian Trail, below are several books about that long-distance walk.

A Journey North by Adrienne Hall is the author's account of her trek up the male-dominated Appalachian Trail.
On the Beaten Path by Robert Alden Rubin. Dealing with something resembling a midlife crisis, Rubin left his job to walk the Appalachian Trail.
Walking the Appalachian Trail by Larry Luxenberg focuses on the people the author met on the trail.
Long-Distance Hiking by Roland Mueser offers a view of the trail from the perspective of an older hiker.

History of the American West

A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn: The Last Great Battle of the American West by James Donovan. Good coverage of the preparations leading up to the campaign to force the Sioux and Cheyennes, as well as the culminating battle.
Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier by Stephen E. Ambrose (author of Band of Brothers). This is an excellent account, from beginning to end, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides traces the role of Carson in the settling of the American Southwest.

Book Reviews

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